The kanji 刑 primarily conveys the concept of punishment, penalty, or a legal sentence. It implies judgment, sanction, or a corrective measure imposed for wrongdoing. It encompasses the idea of justice being served through legal or disciplinary actions.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケイ (kei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, or used as a component in compound words.

⚫︎ 死刑 Translation: Death penalty. ⚫︎ 刑罰 Translation: Punishment; penalty. ⚫︎ 刑務所 Translation: Prison; penitentiary.

The kanji 刑 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is 刂, the "knife" radical, indicating something sharp, or cutting. The right side is 辛, meaning "bitter" or "suffering". The combination suggests the use of a knife to inflict pain, representing punishment. Originally, 辛 depicted a criminal with a tattoo. Over time, it developed into a representation of the suffering involved in punishment.